Paris -- Nexans announced that it has completed a major step in the development of its joint venture in Qatar, the Qatar International Cable Company (QICC), with the start-up of commercial production at the new cable plant in Mesaieed Industrial City, about 40 km from the capital, Doha. The state-of-the-art plant employs more than 100 people and is expected to generate a volume of business of over $100 million by 2011.
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Nexans says the new QICC plant is focused on the manufacture of low, medium and low end high voltage power cables for energy infrastructure and building projects, as well as special cables for the oil and gas industry. It has a current total floor space of 19,000 m2 on an overall plot of 70,000 m2, and a strategic location close to a harbour that is being developed as the largest in the Middle-East.
“The opening of this flagship plant in Qatar is a key strategic step that enables Nexans to address the specific needs of the buoyant and growing market in the Gulf Coast Countries. It adds high-quality, high-volume local manufacturing capability to the effective engineering, sales and customer support services already established in this area,” said Frédéric Vincent, Chairman and CEO of Nexans.
QICC was established in June 2008 as a joint venture company between Nexans (30 percent), Special Projects Company and Al Neama Industrial Co. QICC, which is under the operational management of Nexans, has its headquarters in Mesaieed. The plant is targeting not only the local Qatar market, but also markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Yemen.
The new plant is among the largest in the MENA (Middle-East North Africa) region and its large plot size allows for considerable expansion in production capacity as demand increases, says the company.
Nexans is an established supplier of medium and high voltage cables for important utilities in Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and has been involved in major oil and gas projects with local and international operators. Recently, the company has supplied cables for several projects in Qatar such as Shell GTL pearl, Ras Laffan port, Qatar Gas Berth 6, Laffan Refinery & Kahramaa expansion multiple phases.
SOURCE: Nexans